Ancient Greece wasn't a single country or empire united under a single government, it was made up of a number of city-states. At the center of each city-state was a powerful city. The city ruled the lands and area around it. Sometimes it also ruled smaller less-powerful cities.
The Greek name for a city-state was "polis". Each city-state, or polis, had its own government. Some city states were monarchies ruled by kings or tyrants. Others were oligarchies ruled by a few powerful men on councils. The city of Athens invented the government of democracy and was ruled by the people for many years. The two most powerful and famous city-states were Athens and Sparta, but there were other important and influential city-states in the history of Ancient Greece.
Kings and Generals historical animated documentary series on the ancient civilizations continues with a video on the Ancient Greek state forms. The mainstream idea of the Ancient Greek state is a city-state - a polis, but that was hardly the only form of polity the Greeks lived under.
This video will cover the various Leagues and Federations and how they were formed and how the great states like Athens, Sparta, Macedon and Thebes interacted within them forming their hegemonies.
Watch the video:
